Come on a grand adventure of faith.

I Don’t Have It All Together

I Don’t Have it All Together
I’ve been a Christian for a very long time. Surely you would think that at this stage of my life that all of my troubles, frustrations, flaws, and woes would be far behind me, like some long lost bundle of letters that have been stuffed down at a bottom of a locked trunk, which is sitting up in a dusty attic.

But, alas it’s not so. I realize that the longer I walk with God, the more I understand that I just don’t have it all together.

Yet, despite my ever so apparent lack of self-actualization, there are a few things that I’ve learned in my Christian walk.

1. We will never be perfect. There was only one perfect person who ever walked this earth, and his name was Jesus. I am human, He is Devine. I make mistakes frequently. I don’t always remember everything correctly. I don’t always exhibit patience when I should. I sometimes don’t think before I speak. We recently finished a 59 day tour, and there was one individual whose personality and actions not only grated on my nerves, but clashed with almost every fiber of my being. Said person, having no authority to do so, decided that they should be in charge of all of the logistics on the tour, and so they proceeded to ramp up their involvement, and push their way into everyone’s business over the length of the tour. So every time this person came within close proximity of us, or our truck, my aggravation escalated to near astronomical levels – and I really, really wanted to lash out.

2. We are not exempt from problems. It seems to be a common thing that people think that once they become Christians, all of their problems disappear. Having a relationship with God does not mean that He will solve all of our problems and give us prosperity, and everything that we want. I’ve had other Christians tell me that if I had enough faith, my problems would be gone. That my friends is not so, even Jesus said “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, ESV)

3. The Christian life can be, and is, full of fun. Many people believe that having a relationship with Christ means that the list of things that you cannot do is so long, that you will never have fun. That’s legalism, a endless maze of man made rules and regulations. In the Old Testament you can find some of these rules and regulations, in fact the priests of the Jewish faith created over 600 such rules. Can you imagine having to keep over 600 rules in your faith? Yes, there are some things, or some people, whom I have walked away from because they were counterproductive to my relationship with God. He wants to bring you joy, contentment, and shower you with his abundance.
“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, ESV).

4. God doesn’t always give us everything that we want. He’s not a genie that we can command at will. The belief that our relationship with God will be one of such close communion that we will have all the answers to everything that we need to know, and that God will answer all of our prayers with a resounding yes, is another fallacy that Christians often fall prey to. God answers our prayers in His time, His answers are either yes, no, or not yet.

5. I don’t always walk in communion with God. As much as I would like to be lockstep with my Savior, I often stray off of the path. Sometimes it’s just a step to two, and other times it’s a full blown hike. There’s times that I have been unable to voice my thoughts or feelings to God due to distress. But, I take comfort in knowing that even when I am unable to muster together intelligent words to whisper to God, He is there, His Holy Spirit inside of me knows the desires of my heart, and at times, the utter despair deep in my soul. I so love those times when I realize and can utter to my precious Savior, all of the love, appreciation, and gratitude that flows through my soul.

No my friends, I don’t have it all together. Chances are, you don’t either. But, the beauty of this Christian walk is we don’t have to have it all together. That’s God’s role.

Archives

Search

Follow Blog via Email

Wife, mother, wanderer. Pursuing the Heart of the Journey. Long hours out on the road gives me time to ponder about my Christian faith and how it fits into my daily life. I write about what God puts on my heart. And, although I have two years of Bible College in my experience, I am far from being a Biblical expert. That said, I would love to have you join me while I discuss my thoughts about situations, travel, and faith on this incredible grand adventure that we call life. Believing God, trusting God, adoring God, walking with God, growing with God, confessing to God, talking with God, listening to God, learning with God – it’s the Heart of the Journey ❤️https://heartofthejourney.com/